Sunday, May 27, 2012

Week 21 - Delicious

The theme this week is Delicious from FOCUS 52-12 group, the project 52 group I participating in.  When I hear that word, I think of food or drink.  Food photography for me takes time, lighting, and a whole bunch of stuff I don't have this week.

I did, however, take a picture of the annual solar eclipse on the West Coast.  I was returning from the seeing The Avengers, a good movie, when I remembered that the solar eclipse was occurring.  I pulled over and realized I had no special equipment to view the eclipse.  I could see people staring at the sun, a big no-no. So I started shooting something else, when it began to get dark.  I don't know if it was the marine layer or cloud coverage but the sun was visible to the naked eye.  I pulled out my iPhone and began to shoot when it moved behind som trees.  I realized I had my camera with me and got out and began to shoot.  This is one of the better one.  It may not be food or drink but it was delicious to see this very rare spectacle.


Monday, May 21, 2012

Week 20 - Nurture

Week 20 theme, Nurture, I saw in many places, just not when I had a camera or my old iPhone 3G was not fast enough to capture it.   But shooting every week and having fun are what we are encouraged to do my by group, FOCUS 52, so that's what I do.  

This is part of my Driving by Shooting series, to be seen on my flickr page as it grows.  These photos are taken as I drive by something interesting.  If you are like me, my brain click over into beta and just floods with non-sequitur thoughts.  This is when I'll just see something and think that scene would make a nice photo.  So I shoot it!  I don't get out of the car.  Rarely do I circle back, therefore I call it a drive by shooting.  I hope your like my non violent adaptation of some thing horrible.  My version of senseless acts of beauty. 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Week 19 - Free Week

This is the first time I can remember working a seven day week with late night events.  The week started with a Big Sunday event at my school.  I had to go in to turn off the alarm.  Tuesday was Open House which started with our Academic Challenge Science Super Quiz and ending with the LEGO Robotics culminating display.  Wednesday night was a CUELA Board of Director's meeting.  Thursday and Friday were normal days with student injuries and disciplinary issues.  Saturday I have to open for psychologists to so testing.

I say all of this because I shot more photos this past week than I have in the past several weeks combined.  I don't know if the fatigue that lowered my filter on what I could shoot, or not having a prompt freed me to shoot everything.  This week's prompt was Free Week.  Either way, I had a great time.  I also found out about Instagram, an iPhone photography App on Wednesday.  I've had an fun time learning that too.  If you get a chance, you can see some of the items I shot this week.  Just take a look at my flickr photostream to the right of this post.

And Happy Mother's Day.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Week 18 - Morning

Morning is Week 18th's theme and I must say, has rarely been a friend of mine.  I was always a night person.  I enjoy staying up late, even as a child.  My mother said she would fall asleep with me in the big white rocker, and at 11:00 p.m. when my dada came home, I would get up and welcome him home from work.  I enjoy the night for many reasons.  One is because it seemed quieter than day light hours.  I lived on a busy street and cars where always going and coming all hours of the daylight.  At night, it was quieter because less traffic and I  seemed to think better  My head clearer and calmer at night.  I have only learned to be a morning person because I stopped fighting the need to stay up.  And someone is paying me to be up early.

As an elementary school principal, I feel the need to be at school before everyone.  When I'm at work before everyone, I feel I can collect my thoughts.  I can prepare mentally for what might be thrown at me.  I can watch and feel the school come alive with the voices and energy of the staff, students and their parents.  So, I'm up between 5:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. and push myself out of the house and on to work.  I have trained myself to do this I know, because when I am on Winter or Summer break, I slowly slip into going to bed and waking up a little bit later everyday.   And toward the end of the break I have to re-train myself to to reverse that process.

Morning for me is when I wake up.  Sometimes that is before the sun or after the sun comes up.   But every morning, with few exceptions, I read scriptures or something uplifingly spiritual.  This too, helps me prepare for my day and all that may be thrown at me no matter if I am going to work or not.

The ultimate morning to me is sunrise.  I have seen and photographed many a sunset.  I do want to and have plans to shoot a sunrise.  So look for that one.  That photograph will be the reason I will get up in the dark, but I will also do my reading.